Daniel Ricciardo brought to a close Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s pre-season testing programme on Friday, with the Australian completing ninety-two laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, ending up fourth fastest overall.
Ricciardo feels the team are looking good heading into the new season, feeling the RB14 has shown to be strong in all conditions, although he knows the next couple of weeks before the first race of the season in Australia will be important to go through the information they’ve acquired to gain further knowledge of the car.
“We had some strong pace in testing at times, but then you see what others are doing and then you’re not sure anymore, but I think we’re looking OK,” said Ricciardo. “I think we still have to find a bit of time, we still have things to improve, but I think we are close enough to be in the hunt.
“It’s been a good winter, we did a lot of laps and we’re definitely feeling better about ourselves than we did 12 months ago. For me, I’m glad testing is over, it’s not that exciting, especially when you’re in the middle of a long run on a good bit of fuel!”
The opening round of the season is Ricciardo’s home Grand Prix at Albert Park, and he is aiming to have a good result first time out with the RB14, with the Australian believing they can be involved in the battle at the front of the field.
“I’m looking forward to Melbourne now, that’s what my sights are set on,” said Ricciardo. “I’d love a good result there. We’ll try to come out with strong intentions.
“I think we can be close and I’m looking forward to a battle.”
